By Oke Peter
In its determination aimed at establishing a forum for the next generation of miners, organiser of Mining Indaba has in invited students with interest in a potential career in the mining industry to attend Mining Indaba’s Young Leaders in Mining Programme on Thursday 6 February at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Now in its 5th year, the Young Leaders in Mining, a collaboration between Mining Indaba and Brunswick a critical issues advisory firm, creates a forum for the next generation of miners – students at university and young professionals already working in the industry – to meet and engage with senior leaders in mining, government and civil society.
Tom Quin, Head of Content for Mining Indaba said: “This is a great opportunity for students to participate in the big debates about the future of mining. Mining as an industry has a great future in Africa. But it needs to attract top talent just as much as it needs to attract investment and community support if it is going to thrive. We want to invite all students interested in all aspects of mining to attend the Young Leader’s day. Just bring proof you are a student for free entry and join the conversation.”
Commenting, Timothy Schultz, Director at Brunswick South Africa said, “Mining isn’t just about breaking rocks and processing them. Done right it marries engineering excellence, environmental science, winning support from communities and staff, crunching big data and attracting billions of Rands of investment. South African students have all the talent and skills to achieve this and more. But we need to create opportunities for them to speak about mining with top CEOs, innovators and government leaders if we are to unlock their talent as professionals or entrepreneurs and make mining a sunrise industry for the country.”
The event will debate topics including: digitized mining and the future of work; CEO level leadership lessons from Kumba Iron Ore CEO Themba Mkhwanazi, diversity, gender dynamics and combating gender-based violence; creating a future for young people in mining; and mining as hero and villain of the green revolution.
Students will be able to meet or questions executives and experts from Harmony Gold, Anglo American, the Minerals Council of South Africa, Exxaro Resources, Kumba Iron Ore, McKinsey and Deloittes, will attend and speak; along with NGO, labour and community activists and academics flaborrtner universities: WITS, UWC, UP, US and UCT.
The day is Free for all Students with a valid student ID and includes lunch. Registration [and coffee] from 8 am with the formal programme starting at 9 am prompt.
